Contraceptive implant use among inner city teens

Area of Science:

• Reproductive Health
• Adolescent Medicine
• Contraception

Background:

• Understanding contraceptive compliance among adolescents is crucial for public health.
• Norplant (levonorgestrel implant) is a long-acting reversible contraceptive (LARC) method.
• Urban teens present unique challenges and considerations for contraceptive use.

Purpose of the Study:

• To profile urban teens using Norplant for contraception.
• To identify factors associated with Norplant compliance in this demographic.
• To determine common reasons for early Norplant discontinuation.

Main Methods:

• Prospective data collection on demographics, health history, and reasons for termination.
• Study included 122 inner-city teens receiving Norplant.
• Life table analysis and Mantel-Haenszel procedures were employed.

Main Results:

• One and two-year Norplant retention rates were 71% and 62%, respectively.
• Highest removal rates observed between 3-6 months post-insertion.
• Teens with a history of induced abortion showed higher Norplant retention.

Conclusions:

• Norplant retention rates in this teen cohort exceeded those of conventional contraceptive methods.
• Early discontinuation (within 6 months) is common, mirroring trends with oral contraceptives.
• History of induced abortion may indicate different risk-benefit evaluations for contraception among teens.